While there is a growing market for organic solar cells ­­– they contain materials that are cheaper, more abundant, and more environmentally friendly than those used in typical solar panels – they also tend to be less efficient in converting sunlight to electricity than conventional solar cells. Now, scientists who are members of the Center for Computational Study of Excited-State Phenomena in…Read more

Arizona law protects individual homeowners’ private property rights to solar access by dissolving any local covenant, restriction or condition attached to a property deed that restricts the use of solar energy. This law sustained a legal challenge in 2000. A Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled in favor of homeowners in a lawsuit filed by their homeowners association seeking to…Read more

The Agua Caliente solar farm near Yuma features First Solar’s thin-film cadmium-telluride (CdTe) solar modules. Located 65 miles east of the city of Yuma, Arizona, this plant is one of the world’s largest operational PV power plants with 290MW (AC) connected to the electricity grid.
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There are two types of solar water heating systems: active, which have circulating pumps and controls, and passive, which don't. The typical solar water heater is comprised of solar collectors and a well-insulated storage tank. The solar collector is a network of pipes that gathers the sun's energy, transforms its radiation into heat, and then transfers that heat to either…Read more

The idea of using the sun to meet the energy needs in our buildings has been with us since the time of the Greeks, with some of the design manifestations even evident in the prehistoric structures of Arizona and the Southwest. There is a great historic tradition for Arizona buildings that utilize our most abundant resource, and the current increases…Read more

Photo shows the situation after a battery discharge test at 300 amps was terminated on a 1530 AH IBE battery string when one post melted. During the discharge test all cell voltages are logged. The sum of the cell voltages was 2.73 volts lower than the 48-volt string voltage. This is an average of 118 mv per inter-cell connection, 5-10…Read more

Some things to pay attention to in Arizona

SRP Board Elections were held April 3, 2018

The policies set by the SRP Board of Directors have had severe impact on the installation of residential PV systems in the SRP service area in Arizona, reducing the rate of new residential PV installations by 97% due to a major solar unfriendly change in rate schedules. SRP is a public power utility (in contrast to the investor owned utilities that are governed by the Arizona Corporation Commission) and as such is governed by its elected Board of Directors.

The Arizona Solar Energy Association (ASEA), State Chapter of the American Solar Energy Society ASES), will be holding meetings in a follow-up to the-long awaited updated ASES‚ Chapters handbook and directives.

ASES evolution, in response to some problematic economic and operational conditions, has resulted in a hearty and robust context for the present and the future. ASEA is now responding with an appropriate updating, through local and statewide discussion.

Interim Chair, Andy Gerl, a past ASEA Chair and Board member, is making arrangements for Arizona solar advocates and supporters, members and non-members, to receive both an update re: ASES adaptation and changes, and to discuss solar in Arizona and the “reboot" of the ASEA context, goals and objectives, within the context of varied renewable energy groups within the State, such as AriSEIA (the solar trade association); various sustainability groups; Green Building organizations; the recently formed solar hot water businesses non-profit entity; research and development at the universities; and others.

For more information about the ASEA Reboot discussions, contact Andy at andrew@blazingsolar.com or 602-799-5942

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General News

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The Third Annual Arizona Energy Futures Conference will take place Friday, October 6, 2017 at the Rio Salado Conference Center on the Tempe Campus of the Rio Salado Community College. The title for this year's conference is "Solar: A Force For Economic Development." The sessions will demonstrate how solar and distributed generation can and has created businesses, jobs, and builds local and state economies; examine policies and recognize new technologies that expand energy choice while keeping rates low; and examine what Arizona should do to be able to profit from the coming changes in energy generation and markets.. This is not a conference you want to miss. Conference Panels

The recently completed solar array is in the shape of Target’s bullseye logo on the roof of its Phoenix distribution center and can be seen by travelers flying in and out of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. (Photo courtesy of Target)

Target installed the retailer’s largest solar rooftop array at its Phoenix distribution center, in a partnership with Chicago-based solar installer SoCore, as part of the firm’s efforts to increase its use of solar power for its energy needs.

The recently completed solar array will generate just under 3,000 megawatt hours of energy each year, providing 30 percent of the center’s yearly energy use.

“We’re excited that our distribution center in Phoenix will feature Target’s largest solar array installation with the iconic bullseye logo for all the sky to see,” said John Leisen, vice president of properties at Target. “Target is committed to enriching the communities we serve, and operating energy-efficient and sustainable buildings is one way we are following through on that pledge in Arizona.”

The new array is one of the 13 solar projects Target completed in Arizona recently, totaling 7 MWh. The retailer plans to install 10 more solar rooftops in Arizona this year. The array is the third largest solar project in the Salt River Project (SRP) territory. It joins other Target solar sites in Tucson (4 stores), Surprise, Peoria, Mesa, Sierra Vista, Glendale (2 stores) and Phoenix (2 sites).

The Arizona solar installations are part of Target’s goal to have 500 stores with rooftop solar panels by 2020, with over 350 installed projects completed already.

Target is increasingly meeting a larger portion of its energy needs with solar power. In fact, Target installed more megawatts of rooftop solar in 2016 than any other U.S. retailer, and in 2016, the company was named the No. 1 U.S. Corporate Solar Installer by Solar Energy Industries Association.

About

Welcome to the Arizona Solar Center

This is your source for solar and renewable energy information in Arizona. Explore various technologies, including photovoltaics, solar water heating, solar architecture, solar cooking and wind power. Keep up to date on the latest industry news. Follow relevant lectures, expositions and tours. Whether you are a homeowner looking to become more energy efficient, a student learning the science behind the technologies or an industry professional, you will find valuable information here.

About The Arizona Solar Center

Arizona Solar Center Mission- The mission of the Arizona Solar Center is to enhance the utilization of renewable energy, educate Arizona's residents on solar technology developments, support commerce and industry in the development of solar and other sustainable technologies and coordinate these efforts throughout the state of Arizona. About the Arizona Solar Center- The Arizona Solar Center (AzSC) provides a broad-based understanding of solar energy, especially as it pertains to Arizona. Registered…Read More